True story of World War II POW is touching, powerful

Published 11:30 am, Saturday, August 16, 2014

Photo: Jaap Buitendijk

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THE RAILWAY MAN

THE RAILWAY MAN

Photo: Jaap Buitendijk

True story of World War II POW is touching, powerful

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Pick o’ the Week

“Railway Man” (R) The 1957 classic, “The Bridge on the River Kwai,” told only half the story. This powerful story is thoughtfully told, yet leaves no doubt of the horrible cruelties of war. There’s not a weak link in any aspect of this film from acting to set decoration. I’m even willing to bet craft services was on a higher level — to those who were allowed to eat. Don’t miss the behind-the-scenes documentary on the DVD and Blu-ray featuring interviews with the real life heroes. A

Ick! o’ the Week

“God’s Not Dead” (PG) Heavy-handed, over-the-top film is preaching to the choir. Trouble is the choir might not want to hear this tune. F

Other films

“Anna” (unrated) Psychological thriller is terrific right up until it ends the way you hoped wouldn’t happen because you saw it coming, then it does. B-

“Bad Johnson” (unrated) Adult comedy hits the mark more often than one would expect given its plot, which is not really describable in a family publication. B-

“Divergent” (PG-13) Despite its numerous flaws, plot holes and mindless clan devotees, there’s something extremely likable about this adaptation of the popular young adult novel. B

“Getting Go, the Go Doc Project” (unrated) Not quite explicit enough to be called gay porn with a plot, it’s not far from it. Nevertheless, its two stars are cute and charismatic, which may provide a fix for those missing the tales of Brian and Justin from “Queer as Folk.” B-

“Half of a Yellow Sun” (R) Film suffers from focusing on the bland daily life of its characters, taking too long to turn its attention to the raging civil war that was gripping Nigeria at the time. C+

“Ninja Apocalypse” (unrated) An uncanny resemblance to 1979’s “The Warriors,” a goofy title, poorly choreographed fight scenes and even poorer acting should spell doom. But there’s a thread of interest that may attract a niche audience. C-

“Ironclad: Battle For Blood” (unrated) Perhaps you’re a fan of the first film. Perhaps you’re a “Game of Thrones” junkie hoping this might feed your genre addiction until the series returns. Either way, you’ll be wildly disappointed. D

“I’ll Follow You Down” (unrated) Haley Joel Osment isn’t seeing dead people in this film but he wants to. Sci-fi drama is kept aloft by sincere performances, not an intriguing story. B-

“Need For Speed” (Pg-13) You don’t expect great moments of emotion and drama in films like these, and that is certainly the case here. What you do expect are great scenes in which the cars are the real stars. Sadly, that, too, is missing from this movie. C

“Oculus” (R) Despite all the horror movie clichés and stupid title, there are some genuine frightful moments. B

“Ping Pong Summer” (unrated) Not the wildly funny comedy you might expect, it is heartfelt and captures the nerd culture of the 1980s like few films before it, even those made in the 1980s. B

“Ragamuffin” (PG-13) Biopic about Christian singer-songwriter Rich Mullins leaves out a few key moments from his life, but Michael Koch does a magnificent job portraying the man. B

“Road to Paloma” (R) Usually, these vanity projects spell nothing but doom and ego for the star-writer-director who indulge in them. This is a rare exception that avoids stereotype and cliché to produce a decent drama. B-